Thomas is a Division I anomaly, dwarfed by the shadows of players around him. He stands a proud 5-foot-10, weighs 213 pounds, and figures he could very well be the smallest collegiate offensive lineman in the nation.

Thomas, a freshman from Southwest DeKalb High School in Decatur, came to SSU as a walk-on. He was all-region offensive guard as a junior and made preseason all-state offensive lineman before moving to fullback as a senior.

Thomas also played defensive end in high school, earning all-region honors as a senior and was selected to the DeKalb County All-Star Game.

But coming out of high school, there were limited opportunities for a lineman his size. He had an offer from NAIA William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa, but that was a long way from home.

So Thomas worked his connections. His high school coach Buck Godfrey coached Tigers coach Steve Davenport.

Thomas also goes to church with Davenport’s brother, Stanley Davenport, who put in a few good words on Thomas’ behalf.

Without having to spend a scholarship, Steve Davenport welcomed Thomas to Savannah — as a long snapper.

“Things were going along fine,” Thomas said. “I was still trying to get the hang of it because I did some long snapping my senior year of high school and never did it before then. ... It was an opportunity to continue playing football, even if it wasn’t on scholarship.”

But Thomas couldn’t beat out first-string long snapper Taylor Thompson.

It’s here where faith, fate and fortitude intertwined. Davenport said Thomas couldn’t be discouraged and worked with SSU’s scout teams.

And when the coaches broke down practice film, they couldn’t help noticing an undersized Thomas holding his own with the Tigers’ defensive linemen.

“He plays with leverage and plays hard,” Davenport said. “It was obvious he was well-coached in high school. ... He’s the kind of kid you want in your program. If I had 60 just like him, I’d be fine.”

By the fifth game of the season (Morgan State), Thomas was starting.

“Honestly and truthfully, I’m not stronger than the majority of the guys out here, especially on the line,” Thomas said. “It’s a want. If you don’t want to do it, you’re not going to be able to do it. That’s what it all comes down to. You have to want to put in the effort to work.”

Thomas receives encouragement from several sources. He said his uncle Marvin Pickett, who played baseball at Augusta State, told him, “You’re smaller than everybody up here. You have to put in extra work. You have to be the first one on the field and the last one off. You need to be working in the weight room as much as you can.”

So Thomas tries to out-work everyone. And he thanks God for his unique advantage — the advantage of being underestimated.

“When (bigger defensive linemen) realize it’s going to be a ballgame, that’s when they buckle down and try even harder because nobody wants to be known as the dude who got beat by a 5-10, 213-pound offensive lineman,” Thomas said. “Nobody wants to be that guy.”